[NTLUG:Discuss] X sanity check

[steve]

Wayne Walker wrote:

> Skip to today.  For 95% of all X apps, if you need to run them on a
> remote machine and display them onto your local X server via ssh, great
> solution and no security problems (assuming you use ssh properly).
> For 5% though there is still enough performance degradation in the ssh
> latency that you want instead to use direct X protocol over tcp, no ssh
> in between.

Well, the other problem (I believe) with the ssh route is that the ssh
link has to be established from the machine that's going to be doing the
displaying - rhen you have to start the remote program from within the
ssh session.  (I could be wrong about that - but if I am then I
don't know how to invoke ssh to get the graphics to flow in the
opposite direction).

So if you are an embedded computer running some piece of equipment
someplace where the user isn't sitting - and you'd like to pop open
a window on the user's computer (or possibly several user's computers)
to warn of some impending situation - then ssh won't cut it unless
the user invoked that program from his terminal...which is unlikely
in that scenario.

With the native X protocol, it's quite easy for an application to
open windows and accept keyboard and mouse entries on a variety of
remote computers without those computers having established any kind
of prior connection - which does have it's uses in situations where
bulletproof security isn't an issue.